Ed Miliband “regrets” interviewing Russell Brand during the 2015 election campaign, he has conceded.

       Mr Miliband was the Labour leader at the time and appeared on Brand’s YouTube series The Trews.

       At a Politico Energy & Climate event on Wednesday, he said that it was a mistake and that he now stands in “solidarity with the women who have come forward”.

       Asked if he regretted the Russell Brand interview, Mr Miliband said: “Yeah, of course, I mean look, I think the allegations that have come to light are horrific allegations and my solidarity is with the women who have come forward to tell their stories.

       “Obviously I did lots of interviews in that campaign, Russell Brand was going round to say you shouldn’t vote. I went and did an interview on his programme because I wanted young people to get out and vote. But obviously knowing what I know now, obviously I regret doing it.”

       Mr Miliband, 53, is now the shadow climate change and net zero secretary.

       Brand, 48, is facing accusations of rape, sexual assault and emotional abuse over a seven-year period during the height of his fame.

       Police are also investigating an allegation that he sexually assaulted a woman in central London 20 years ago.

       The comedian, whose UK tour has been postponed, has vehemently denied the “very, very serious criminal allegations”, insisting that all his sexual relationships have been consensual.

       During the campaign Brand told voters that going to the ballot box wouldn’t make a difference to the electoral outcome.

       Mr Miliband said that he conducted the interview to assure people that their vote did count.

       Pressed on whether this decision showed a lack of judgment, Mr Miliband said: “Look, hindsight is a wonderful thing and, you know, as I say I did lots and lots of interviews.

       ‘Terrible decision’

       “This was somebody who was getting notoriety at that point for saying to people: ‘Do not vote because it would make no difference.’

       “I felt duty bound if there was an opportunity to do so to say to young people in particular, who he was targeting to say voting doesn’t make a difference, that, you know, it would make a difference.

       “Nick Robinson, who was then political editor of the BBC, attacked Russell Brand for saying voting would make no difference. I wanted to do everything I could to say to young people in particular that it did matter.”

       A former Labour adviser yesterday said that Miliband agreeing to interview Brand was a “terrible decision”.

       Ayesha Hazarika, who was a Labour adviser to figures including Mr Miliband and Harriet Harman between 2007 and 2015, said that the former party leader was in the wrong to agree to the interview.

       “It was a terrible decision and I would like to say I was not involved in that,” she told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.

       “Because there weren’t a lot of women in the room making these decisions – we were on the pink bus, which tells you everything you need to know about how valued women were in terms of making the decisions.

       “But it’s a big lesson there in terms of chasing celebrities for political points.”